(2023) Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner's plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow ... and blood.Vitals: Director: Elizabeth Banks. Stars: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., with Margo Martindale, Ray Liotta.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Comedy Thriller, North American box office gross: $64.005 million, worldwide $83.125 million, Universal.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital.
Extras: Alternate ending; deleted & extended scenes; gag reel; "All Roads Lead to Cokey: The Making of Cocaine Bear"; "UnBEARable Bloodbath: Dissecting the Kills"; "Doing Lines": Cast and filmmakers read lines from the script, which was a work of art unto itself; feature commentary with director/producer Elizabeth Banks and producer Max Handelman. Read more here
Magic Mike's Last Dance
(2023) "Magic" Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite (Hayek Pinault) who lures him with an offer he can't refuse ... and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, once Mike discovers what she truly has in mind, will he—and the roster of hot new dancers he'll have to whip into shape—be able to pull it off?
Vitals: Director: Steven Soderbergh. Stars: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek Pinault, Ayub Khan Din, Jemelia George, Juliette Motamed, Vicki Pepperdine.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 112 min., Comedy, North American box office gross: $26.005 million, worldwide $56.305 million, Warner.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital.
Marlowe
(2023) Noir crime thriller set in late 1930's Los Angeles, centers around a street-wise, down-on-his-luck detective; Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson), who is hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress (Diane Kruger), daughter of a well-known movie star (Jessica Lange). The disappearance unearths a web of lies, and soon Marlowe is involved in a dangerous, deadly investigation where everyone involved has something to hide. Based upon the 2014 novel "The Black-Eyed Blonde" by Benjamin Black, not one of Raymond Chandler's original Marlowe works.
Vitals: Director: Neil Jordan. Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Colm Meaney, Ian Hart, Alan Cumming, Danny Huston.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 110 min., Mystery, North American box office gross: $4.350 million, worldwide $5.413 million, Universal.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital.
This Week's Digital Releases
April 17
Paul T. Goldman: Season 1: Paul T. Goldman's world is turned upside down when he finds out that his wife has been living a secret double life. His efforts to uncover the truth thrust him into a labyrinth of fraud, deception and criminality that transforms him, in his words, "from wimp to warrior." (Digital only)
April 18
Animal Crackers: A family must use a magical box of Animal Crackers to save a run-down circus from being taken over by their evil uncle Horatio P. Huntington. (Digital, VOD only)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, explore the Quantum Realm, where they interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure that goes beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. (DVD, Blu-ray release: May 16)
Future TX: Two kids get their first mobile (cell) phones but they receive a call from someone who says he's from the future, and he needs their help if the world is to survive. (VOD only)
April 21
The Attachment Diaries: A desperate young woman goes to a clinic to have a clandestine abortion in 1970s Argentina. As her pregnancy is already through the fourth month, the doctor refuses and she proposes to sell the baby to one of her clients and offers to provide shelter in her house until the child is born. Their disturbed personalities become intertwined in a strange and dangerous relationship. (Digital, VOD only)
Cocaine Bear
(2023) Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., with Margo Martindale, Ray Liotta. Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner's plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital.
Extras: Alternate ending; deleted & extended scenes; gag reel; "All Roads Lead to Cokey: The Making of Cocaine Bear"; "UnBEARable Bloodbath: Dissecting the Kills"; "Doing Lines": Cast and filmmakers read lines from the script, which was a work of art unto itself; feature commentary with director/producer Elizabeth Banks and producer Max Handelman. (Universal).
Read more here
The Haunting of Julia
(1977) Keir Dullea, Mia Farrow, Sophie Ward, Tom Conti. Based on the novel "Julia" by Peter Straub, the atmospheric supernatural thriller "The Haunting of Julia" (aka Full Circle) has developed a cult following amongst film fans for its intelligent yet deeply chilling take on a modern ghost story. Never before available on DVD or Blu-ray in the US, this long-sought after film will be available on physical media for the first time in decades. 4K restoration from the original negative. Magnus and Julia Lofting (Dullea and Farrow) suffer a tremendous shock one morning when their daughter Kate (Ward) begins choking. Unsure what to do, Julia attempts a tracheotomy, inadvertently causing Kate's death. The tragedy sends Julia to a hospital to recover, but when Magnus asks that she come home, she prefers to buy a new house in London to live alone. Magnus begins pondering Julia's fragile sanity, while Julia becomes convinced that her house is haunted by the spirit of a little girl. Formats: 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo. Extras: Audio commentary by director Richard Loncraine and film historian Simon Fitzjohn; introdfeaturette; "Coming Full Circle" interview with actor Tom Conti; "The Fear of Growing Up" interview with actress Samantha Gates; "A Haunting Retrospective" featurette on this underrated ghost story. (Shout! Factory). Read more here
Kids vs Aliens
(2021) Dominic Mariche, Phoebe Rex, Calem MacDonald, Asher Grayson, Ben Tector. All Gary wants is to make awesome home movies with his best buds. All his older sister Samantha wants is to hang with the cool kids. When their parents head out of town one Halloween weekend, an all-time rager of a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Extras: Commentary with director Jason Eisene; "Slime Time: The Making of Kids vs Aliens"; storyboards; photo gallery. (RLJE Films).
Magic Mike's Last Dance
(2023) Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek Pinault, Ayub Khan Din, Jemelia George, Juliette Motamed, Vicki Pepperdine. Mike takes to the stage again, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite who lures him with an offer he can't refuse. Formats:Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. (Warner).
Marlowe
(2023) Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Colm Meaney, Ian Hart, Alan Cumming, Danny Huston. Thriller set in 1939 LA. Hard-boiled private eye, Philip Marlowe (Neeson), is hired to find the lover of a glamorous heiress (Kruger). Unexpectedly, Marlowe finds himself embroiled in a deadly mystery that he's determined to either solve or die trying. Based upon the 2014 novel "The Black-Eyed Blonde" by Benjamin Black, not one of Raymond Chandler's original Marlowe works.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. (Universal).
Righteous Thieves
(2021) Lisa Vidal, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Brian Cousins, Sasha Merci, Paul Kreppel, David Gilchrist, Cam Gigandet, Carlos Miranda. Annabel (Vidal), a leader of a secret organization engaged in the recovery of priceless artwork, assembles a ragtag crew of art thieves to recover a Monet, Picasso, Degas, and Van Gogh stolen by Nazis during WWII and now in the possession of neo-Nazi billionaire oligarch Otto Huizen (Cousins). As the planned heist approaches, loyalties are tested when the crew learns the real reason behind Annabel’s search for the long-lost paintings. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Coming For It All: Making Righteous Thieves." (Lionsgate).
The Seventh Seal
(1957 -- Sweden) Returning exhausted from the Crusades to find medieval Sweden gripped by the Plague, a knight (Max von Sydow) suddenly comes face-to-face with the hooded figure of Death, and challenges him to a game of chess. As the fateful game progresses, and the knight and his squire encounter a gallery of outcasts from a society in despair, Ingmar Bergman mounts a profound inquiry into the nature of faith and the torment of mortality. One of the most influential films of its time, "The Seventh Seal" is a stunning allegory of man’s search for meaning and a work of stark visual poetry. Formats: 4K UHD + Blu-ray Special Edition with 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. Extras:Read more here. (The Criterion Collection).
Transfusion
(2023) Sam Worthington, Matt Nable, Phoebe Tonkin, Susie Porter. Ex-special forces operative Ryan Logan (Worthington) has a sharply honed set of survival skills that have allowed him to walk the line between courage and fear. But after a personal tragedy shatters his family and sends his teenaged son, Billy, into a world of drugs and delinquency, he is pushed to the edge. Desperate to make a new life for Billy, Ryan plunges into the criminal underground for one final mission. Formats: Blu-ray + Digital Code. (Lionsgate).